Directory rack



Feb. 6, 1923.

J- R. DUMONT.

DIRECTORY RACK.

FILED MAH. 3, 1922.

@viii Patented Feb. 6, 1923.

PATENT @FF DIRECTORY RACK.

Application led March 3, 1922.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH R. DUMONT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and usefulI Improvements in Directory Racks;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appert-ains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of Ireferencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specilication.

his invention relates to directory racks especially designed fortemporarily receiv? ing cards and the like having certain indiciathereon.'

The invention is particularly applicable for use as a hotel rack inwhich guest cards may be removably attached to the rack in a. convenientand expeditious manner although it is equally applicable for use as arack for supporting information cards for general business wherevercredit cards, customers list or other indicia-containing cards are used.

' The primary object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive,easily operated rack by means of which the cards may be tempo rarilySecured inl hanging positions so that both sides may be visible withoutremoval from the rack and the construction is such that the cards may bereadily applied to or detached from the rack whenever desired.

The novel construction of the invention will be apparent by reference tothe following description in. connection with the accompanying drawings,in which 1g. 1 is a perspective view 'of a rack constructed inaccordance with my invention, parts being broken awayto betterillustrate other parts.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, sectional yview through a part of the rack.

F ig. 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of part of the rack, showingthe card-supporting bars ready to be removed.-

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the card-supporting bars,and

F ig. 5 is a top'view of one `of the cardsupporting racks.

The 4rack frame is shown as consisting of a back plate l having channelside rails 2 and 3, a top rail 4 and a bottom rail 5. Secured to thetoprail 4 is a bowed spring 6 its lower end with a Serial No. 540,717.

secured intermediate its ends and adapted to bear upon the top card bar,as will be clearly apparent by reference to F ig. 1.

The card bars=are shown as comp-rising angles 7, the rearwardlyprojecting lateral flanges 8 of which are of widths somewhat less thanthe depths of the channel members so the bars can slide therein.

The vertical flanges 9 of the card bars are provided with end rearwardlyprojecting hook members 10 and 11 and intermediate hook members 12 and13. There are two hook members 12 and 13 shown in Fig. 4 although thenumber may be multiplied if desired. The intermediate members areadapted to engage through slots 14 and 15 in the cards 16 and theoverlapping end portions of the members 12 and 13 are slightly less inlength than the width of the members 10 and 11. In other words, themembers l0 and 11 extendapproximatelv the width of the flange 8 whereasthe turnedover portions of the members 12 and 13 are not so long so thatthe cards can be introduced between the ends of 12 and 13 and the backplate 1.

The cards are readily adapted to be introduced over the hooked ends ofthe members 12 and 13 by inverting the cards, as shown in F ig. 3,engaging their slots 14 and 15 upon said members and then turningtlieiii down. as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

There is a card-bar supporting slide 1T in the channel members 2 and 3and it is lo cated below the lowermost bar 7. rlhe support 17 consistsof a plate having an upper .longitudinal lower outstanding flange19,'the widths of the Hanges being enough to substantially fill thechannel members 2 and 3 so that the member 17 can readily' slidetherein.

The overlapping lip 20,of the flange 18 is adapt-ed to engage over theupper edge 21 of' a hinged plate 22, which is provided at rod 23,ext/ending the and having its ends 2 and 3 so as to con- 'lhe upper edgeof the notched, as at 24, so that the linger or an instrument can beinserted in the notch to pull the hinge plate outwardly when desired.

` When it is desired 'to use the rack, the hinged plate may be swungdown through the medium of its hinge 23, then the ineinber 17 will beslid to the bottom of the rack.

entire length thereof resting in the channels stitute a hinge. plate 22is slightly channel-shaped flange 18 and alud The card-supporting barscan then be introduced into the rack by inclining them diagonally sothat their ends can engage in the channels. Then the bars can bestraightened to lie horizontally, and when asulcient number of the barshave been introduced into the rack, the member 1T can be slid up underthe lower-most bar, and the plate 22 can be swung up so that theoverlapping portion 2O of the flange 18 will engage over its edge.Therefore,the plate 17 will lock the swinging plate 22 in verticalposition and the upper edge ol the plate 22 will support the member 1Tso that it, in turn, can support the adjacent bar 7.

lf it is desired to introduce a card, the card is inverted andintroduced between the lower edge of one bar and the upper edge of theother and since the hooked members 12 and 13 are relatively short, theycan be caused to engage the slots 14 and 15. Then the card is swung overto a hanging position.

ln causing` the hooked members 12 and 13 of any bar to engage a card,the bar immediately above it can be raised so as to provide a spacebetween the lower edge of the upper bar and the top edge of the bar toreceive the card. This is due to the fact that the space between theupper edge of the member 17 and the ends of the spring 6 will not beentirely filled, there being slight play permitted. rlhe cards cancontain any indicia, such as the name and permanent address ot a guest`of the hotel, his ledger number, forwarding, addresses and any otherindicia which may be ot interest.

0I" course, the rack can be used for other purposes than a hotelregister, so l do not wish to be limited to any particular applicationthereof, the invention residing rather in the inexpensive manner otconstructing the same than in the use. 4

The ate or swinging plate 22 can be removed y tilting it so that the rod23 will be inclined diagonally across the traine,

larger plate 22 can be substituted.

1IWhen the bars are moved upwardly against the spring, the ends ot thespring will bear against the ends 1() and 11, the spring constituting abutler or shock-absorber.

What l claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. A devicel of the class described coinprising altrame having sideguides and a back, transverse card-carrying bars7 each bar having endsengaging the guides and provided along its bottom edge wi'tha hori-`zontal flange, rearwardly projecting hooks intermediate the ends of eachbar at the edge opposite to that at which the Harige is located, thelength of the hooks being less whereupon the ends of the bar may bedisthan the depth of the guides and less than the width of the flange sothat the free ends of the hooks will not contact with the back of theframe, the hooks constituting hangers for slotted cards, and rearwardlyprojecting members carried by each bar of greater length than thelengths of the rearwardly projecting hooks to maintainthe rearwardlyprojecting hooks away from the back of the frame. l 1

2. A device of the class described comprising a frame having verticalguides in itsside edges, a spring atthe upper end of the frame havingdependin free ends, card-carrying bars slidable in t 1e guides, eachcomprising an angle member having a horizontal flange and a verticalflange, the vertical flanges being provided with overlapping members ontheir ends which are adapted to contact with the free ends of thesprings, intermediate hook members, the intermediatehook members beingof less length than the length of the end overlapping portions, Iandcards 2r engaging the intermediate hook mem- 3. A device of the classdescribed comprising a frame having side guides, vertically movabletransverse card-carrying bars in the guides, a card bar supportingmember in the guides beneath the lowest bar and adapted to have freevertical movement, and a hinged plate mounted in the frame and havingany upper edge'adapted to be engaged by the upper portion of the cardbar supporting member whereby the card bar supporting member will beheld in elevated position.

4c. A device of the class described comprising a rack having channelside guides, vertically movable transverse cardpporting bars in theguides, a bar-sup o-rting member slidable in the ides and beneath thelowest bar, and a hlnged plate carried by the guide for engaging the'bar 'to hold it in elevated position, said hinged plate having swingingmovement away from the card-bar support whereby the card-bar support canbe moved away from the lowermost card-supporting bar to permit thecard-sup.- porting bar to be tilted diagonally to remove it from the'frame or to introduce it back into the frame.

ln a device of the class described, a rack, card-supporting bars in therack, each consisting of an angle member having a iateral flange and avertical ange, end bentover portions for the bar, and intermediatebent-over portions for the bar, the end bentover portions beingsubstantially as long as the width or' the. lateral flange and theintermediate bent-over portions being shorter than the width of thelateral flange.

6. A device of the class described comprising a rack, a plurality ofvertically movable, transverse card-supporting. bars in the iis rack, abar-supporting member slidable inv the rack and beneath the lowerinostbar, and means for maintaining the bar-support-ing` member in a raisedposition, said means comprising a hinged plate havingr its upper edgemovable into and out of engagement with the bar-supporting member.

7. A device of the class described comprising:` a rack. a plurality ofvertically movable, transverse card-supporting bars in the rack, a,bar-supportingmember slidable in the rack and beneath the lowermost bar,and

means for maintaining the bar-supporting member in a raised position,said means comprising a hinged plate having its upper edge movable. intoand out of engagement with the bar-supporting member, the bar-supportingmember having an overlapping flange at its upper edge to engage thehinged plate to prevent the plate from aecidentally swingingy outwardlyaway thereI- from.

In testimony whereof l aiix my signature.

JOSEPH R. DUMONT.

